What Size Football Should My Child Use For Flag Football?

I always encourage parents to be involved with the sports that their child participates in. For my youth flag football players I recommend that the parents work 5-10 minutes a day just playing catch with their kids. It’s fairly easy to accomplish and has a great benefit to the child as a skill and confidence builder.

When starting out you should be aware that footballs come in many shapes and sizes. As with all flag football equipment, its is important to know your options before purchasing. In this case the main factor is to make sure your child has the proper size football to practice with, as having a ball too small or to big will not be as good for skill development as a football of the correct size.

Below are the most common youth football sizes by age group.

5-8 y/o – Pee Wee Size

9-11 y/o – Junior Size

12-14 y/o – Youth Size

14+ y/o – High School Size

If you’re in doubt or have trouble finding the correct size, ask the coach or a league official what size football will be used during actual youth flag football games.

Time to Get a Football

You should consider buying one and practicing a bit.

There are many sizes in football (we’re talking about the ball, not the player). But what matters more is the ball’s fabric.

You can either purchase a leather football, which is made of pig skin – or you can pick a composite.

Leather is an excellent but expensive option. Also, it’s what you’re most likely using in a game.

However, it does have the drawback of moisture sensitivity. So if you’re playing in a wet environment, your ball might absorb lots of water.

Now, this water absorption can ruin a game. After all, it makes a ball heavy. And you’ll have a hard time throwing it around!

Basically, just take your time exploring ball options – and what pick what suits you best!

Welcome to the flag football page. Here we have 2 pages - parents and coaching. Coaching - Here you will many find resources and articles for coaching youth flag football. Parents - Here we have provided resources to help you understand the rules and concepts of youth flag football, and more importantly to empower you to help your child learn how to play flag football.